Another Exhausting Mission
by AliasCWN
Summary: Most missions are exhausting, but some are more wearing than others.
1. Chapter 1

**Another Exhausting Mission **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 1

When the water hole appeared in the distance Troy glanced at his watch and decided that it was time for a break. "Take us in," he told Hitch.

"Do we circle first?"

"One quick one," Troy nodded. "I doubt anyone could have gotten here ahead of us but I guess it's better to not take any chances."

Hitch nodded as Troy rationalized their plan. After making a small circle around the water hole the jeeps turned into the break in the rocks. The water pool was in the middle of the clearing among the boulders. First one and then the other jeep pulled in and stopped next to the water.

"We haven't seen any sign of pursuit but I don't want to take any chances," Troy began. "Fill the water containers before you do anything else."

Hitch and Tully both nodded and unhooked the spare water containers from the rear of the jeeps. Their canteens were still full so there was no need to fill them.

Troy and Moffitt stood behind the 50's as they looked around. The large boulders hid their view of most of the surrounding desert but the rocks looked clear.

"All done with the water Sarge," Hitch announced a moment later.

"Okay, fill the gas tanks," Troy nodded.

Hitch and Tully both turned and reached for the gas cans.

"I'll go take a look from the top." Troy reached for a weapon and started toward the rocks.

Moffitt watched as Troy climbed toward the top of the rocks. Hitch and Tully were walking around the jeeps with the gas cans in their hands. Suddenly a movement caught Moffitt's eye. "Troy! Look out!" Moffitt's gun opened up as men began to peer around the boulders with rifles in their hands.

Troy dove for cover and shot the man nearest him. Rolling to the side he also shot the next man to stick his head out into the open. Wiggling behind another boulder he could hear the others fighting behind him. Moffitt's 50 was drowning out the sounds of the lighter weapons. He heard the jeeps roar to life but he didn't dare take the time to look behind him. More Germans were hidden behind the boulders above him and he couldn't allow them to get unobstructed access to his men. The longer he could keep them ducking for cover the better chance the others had of escaping.

Leaning around the rock that sheltered him, Troy unloaded an entire clip of ammo. Below him he heard the jeeps start to move. Moffitt's gun stayed in the fight but both privates were now concentrating on getting the jeeps clear.

The Germans heard the jeeps leaving too and they made a desperate attempt to stop them. Troy tried, but he couldn't keep all of them from firing at the departing jeeps. The barrel of his gun turned red from the heat of all of the lead spitting at the attackers. More bullets began to pepper the rocks around him as the attention of the attackers centered on him. He could no longer hear Moffitt's 50 as he rolled onto his back to reload. Reaching for a new clip his hand came up empty.

When he stopped returning fire the bullets hitting the rocks around him tapered off and finally stopped altogether.

"Sergeant Troy."

Troy twisted at the call.

"Sergeant, I know you can hear me."

"I hear you. What do you want?"

"You may as well surrender Sergeant; your men have left you; you are all alone."

"Now how can you say I'm all alone when you're here too?" Troy asked as he stalled for time.

"You're stalling Sergeant. Please don't do anything foolish, I would hate to have to kill you." Dietrich's voice floated down from the top of the rocks.

"I just bet you would," Troy replied, "but I'm thinking that you'd do it anyway."

"Yes, I would," Dietrich answered, "but it would bring me no pleasure."

"Maybe just a little," Troy responded with a resigned grin.

"Perhaps…but only a little," the captain admitted. "Correct me if I am wrong Sergeant, but you seem to be out of ammunition."

"Maybe." Troy could hear Dietrich's sigh and it made him smile.

"Be sensible Sergeant, you are surrounded and holding an empty weapon. This can only end one of two ways, and you only survive one of those ways."

"Are you sure about that Captain?"

"Quite," Dietrich answered in a dry tone.

Troy sighed. He could no longer hear the jeeps and Dietrich was right, his options were definitely limited. "All right Captain, you win this round." Troy tossed his weapon onto the ground in the open. "I'm coming out." He waited until Dietrich had alerted his men as to what was happening before he got to his feet. Keeping his hands in plain sight he stepped out from behind the rocks.

The German soldiers rushed forward to surround him and search him for more weapons. Dietrich waited until Troy had been searched and bound before he carefully picked his way down to where the sergeant stood.

"Where did the others go?"

"Not that again," Troy groaned. "I don't know where they went. They weren't supposed to leave without me so there wasn't any plan to meet anywhere else."

The officer nodded at the expected answer. "Then I guess we'll just have to wait for them to come to your rescue. When they do, we'll be waiting."

"You never give up, do you?"

"I can't give up if I want to see Germany reach greatness again," the captain replied seriously.

"Even if it's at the expense of the rest of the world?" Troy asked.

Dietrich looked at Troy in surprise. "Is that how you see it?"

"Don't you?" Troy asked.

"I suppose we shall have to agree to disagree on that point. Shall we go Sergeant?"

"I have to admit, this was a pretty good trick," Troy observed as his captors led him to their vehicles. "We made a circle before we came in. We saw tracks where your column went past but we didn't find where it turned in. We never figured you'd turn around. How did you manage to get these vehicles in here without us hearing them?"

Dietrich smiled. "We were here before you arrived Sergeant. You were spotted headed in this direction by one of our Arab spies. It wasn't difficult to figure out that you would stop at this water hole. It is the only one in this sector. My column was out here on a scouting mission so we decided to wait for your arrival. We thought that you might check for tracks so I had the column continue while my men and I walked in and hid in the rocks. We even covered our tracks in case the wind didn't do it for us. I think it worked out quite well, don't you?"

"Oh, I don't know," Troy answered, "you missed my men."

Dietrich made a face. "A temporary setback."

"You just keep telling yourself that Captain," Troy smiled, "if it makes you feel any better."

They arrived at the vehicles and Dietrich had Troy helped into the rear of his own halftrack.

"I thought you said that your column kept going," Troy remarked as he took a seat in the corner.

Dietrich twisted to look behind him and smiled. "They had orders to return at the first shots fired."

"Yeah," Troy mumbled to himself.

"Relax Sergeant, we will be at the nearest German base before dark. I doubt that your men will try a rescue while it is still daylight, but we will be ready, just in case."

"Wear yourself out," Troy answered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Another Exhausting Mission **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

Hitch and Tully threw the gas cans into the rear of their jeeps and slid into the seats. Moffit's gun was already in action and they could hear Troy putting up a fight. Both privates grabbed machine guns and fired one-handed as they started the engines.

"Get us out of here!" Moffitt shouted as it became abundantly clear that Troy wasn't going to be able to make it back to the jeeps.

Both jeeps lurched forward as the privates tossed their guns on the seats next to them and drove away from the waterhole.

Hitch's jeep took the lead as bullets hit the sand around them. He ducked as lead whistled past his ear. Whipping the wheel, he tore around a large rock and aimed for the gap that led to the open desert. Bullets punctured the side of the jeep and he jerked the wheel again. His front wheel hit several smaller rocks, throwing the jeep sideways before it settled into the ruts of the path. A spurt of speed took him past the larger boulders guarding the entrance to the waterhole. Behind him he could hear Tully's jeep not far behind.

Tully stepped on the gas and spun his jeep in a circle. Moffitt's gun chattered non-stop as the jeep spun around. The Germans in the rocks ducked as the heavy slugs hit the rocks all around them. As the jeep faced forward again Tully kicked up dirt as the wheels sought a grip.

Above them on the hill Troy had changed positions and taken out several of the attackers. As he shifted positions again Tully's tires caught and the small vehicle charged out of the clearing.

Tully dodged around the rocks that Hitch had hit and twisted the wheel hard to stay on the beaten path. He too felt the draft of air as bullets whizzed past his head. Behind him Moffitt was still covering their escape. Back in the clearing Troy's gun was still keeping some of the Germans hiding behind the boulders for safety. They cleared the final boulders and raced out into the open desert.

Several halftracks made a rush toward them but the two jeeps shot from the opening at full speed. Before the halftracks could cut them off the jeeps swung around them and made a run for freedom. Knowing they could not catch the smaller vehicles, the halftracks gave up the chase. They turned back toward the waterhole as the Americans disappeared into the distance.

Moffitt watched as the halftracks turned back toward the waterhole. There was another burst of gunfire and then things got quiet. The only sounds were the wind whistling past his ears and the quiet engines of the two jeeps.

Tully glanced over his shoulder and Moffitt was adding another belt of ammo to the ammo box of the 50. The sergeant didn't look up to meet his lingering gaze. After a minute he turned his attention back to his driving.

Hitch's jeep was falling behind and Tully slowed down to let him catch up. Even before the other jeep pulled up beside him, he knew there was a problem. There was a grinding noise coming from the other jeep, a sound that clearly meant the jeep needed immediate repairs. Without waiting for orders Tully began to look for a place where they could hide and work on the jeep.

"What's wrong Hitch?"

Tully heard Moffitt's question and he strained to hear the reply.

"Something's wrong with my steering," Hitch called back. "I hit some rocks coming out and it wasn't steering right, but now it's getting worse. We're going to have to stop and take a look."

"Very well, we'll find a place to stop and you can inspect it and hopefully fix it."

Hitch didn't answer but Tully could picture him nodding his head at the sergeant's solution. The other jeep fell behind again but Tully slowed his own jeep so Hitch could keep up. Finally Moffitt leaned down and tapped Tully on the shoulder.

"There's a wadi about a mile ahead, we're going to stop and let Hitch check the damage to his jeep."

Tully nodded and began to search for the wadi that Moffitt wanted. When it came into view, he steered toward it. It was wide enough to park both jeeps side by side while still hiding them from prying eyes.

Tully shut his engine off and turned to look toward the sergeant.

"Doc?"

"Yes Hitch?"

"Do you think he's all right?" Hitch's blue eyes were filled with concern when he mentioned Troy. "I didn't hear any shooting after we broke out."

"Troy's a fighter," Moffitt answered solemnly. "He'll do his best to stay alive until we can go back for him."

"But what if they decide to just kill him?"

"They won't."

Hitch and Moffitt turned at Tully's announcement.

"How do you know?" Hitch demanded.

"Dietrich wouldn't kill Sarge if he surrendered and Sarge would know that. He didn't have a chance in there alone and Sarge would realize that too. My guess is he covered our escape and then he surrendered."

"What if Dietrich wasn't there?"

"He was."

"He was?" Moffitt asked. "How do you know? Did you see him Tully?"

"Yeah, I saw him," Tully nodded. "He was standing at the top of the hill watching everything."

"Well, that explains a lot," Moffitt replied. "Dietrich is one of the few German commanders in this area who could have pulled off an ambush like that one."

"Then Sarge will be okay until we can go in and get him." Hitch relaxed and climbed from his jeep. "All we have to do now is fix this jeep and go after him."

Moffitt chuckled.

"What?"

"You make it sound so easy."

"We've done it plenty of times before."

"We have, but I would not want to get too over confident. It may not be that easy."

"What do you mean Doc?" Hitch tensed again.

Moffitt glanced at the damaged jeep. "Dietrich has in all likelihood already left the waterhole with Troy. He's going to have a head start on us. He may even reach a base before we can catch up to them. The question is, where will he take Troy? There are several bases around here other than his own. Some of them are closer than his base."

"We can follow their tracks," Tully answered.

"Yes, we can, and we will," Moffitt agreed, "But we can't do that until the jeep is repaired. We may need both jeeps to pull off the rescue. The problem is, this wind is going to erase those tracks if we are delayed for too long."

"Then we'd better get to it," Tully declared.

"I hope we have the parts," Hitch added.

"I guess we won't know that either until we take a look." Tully walked over to the other jeep.

"I'll keep watch, "Moffitt volunteered. "I suggest you get it done as quickly as possible. Troy will be expecting us."

"So will Dietrich," Hitch added.

"So let's not disappoint either of them."


	3. Chapter 3

**Another Exhausting Mission **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

Dietrich's column cleared the rocks surrounding the waterhole and headed for the nearest German base. The desert was flat at first but soon gave way to rolling hills and deep wadis. The hills gained altitude as they went and gaps separated the numerous mounds.

Dietrich had been thinking about the trap he would use to catch the other 'rats' and he had a plan all worked out. Thinking of his prisoner, he twisted around to check on Troy. The sergeant had his head back against the metal behind him and he was sound asleep. Twisting even further the captain checked on the rest of his column. The line of vehicles was winding its way around another of the dunes that popped up to pepper the desert floor.

As he looked back, he saw one of his men suddenly stiffen and point to the outer edge of the dune. Dietrich turned his head in time to see a group of horsemen charge at his column. Before he could turn back another group raced out in front of his halftrack and began to fire at his men. His driver was one of the first to fall.

The Arabs swept past the halftrack with rifles blazing. His men in the rear fought well despite being surprised. The first wave of horsemen swept past as Dietrich reached for his sidearm. One of his men fell from the rear and landed nearly on top of him, knocking his luger from his hand and onto the ground outside of the vehicle. The next wave of horsemen buried it in the sand as their horses thundered past. Several of the horsemen tumbled to the ground while their horses ran on.

The rest of the column had reacted and the firing was deafening. More Arabs poured from wherever they had hidden and rode along the length of the column firing wildly. As even more horsemen appeared the drivers who were still able began to take their vehicles around the disabled ones and run from the fight.

Grabbing the rifle the fallen soldier had dropped, Dietrich took aim at the Arabs. His first target took a head dive off of his horse after Dietrich fired. His second target managed to cling to the neck of his mount for several strides before he too fell to the ground. The captain was looking for another target when he sensed, rather than saw, someone climbing over the hood of his halftrack. Twisting around he tried to line up for another shot. The Arab was faster and swung the barrel of his rifle. The barrel connected with the side of Dietrich's head and the captain was out of the fight. He dropped to the floor of the halftrack with blood flowing freely from the cut on his temple.

His lieutenant glanced at the halftrack as his driver took him forward. His captain was crumpled onto the floor with blood everywhere. From what he could see as they rumbled past there were no survivors to save. Waving his driver on, he mourned the loss of his commander as he led the survivors from the scene of the ambush.

The Arabs gave chase but after nearly a mile of running full out their horses were too tired to continue. Since they could no longer hope to catch the armored vehicles the Arabs stopped and dismounted. They continued to fire at the fleeing Germans until the column was completely out of range.

Dietrich woke up with Troy slapping his face.

"Come on Captain, wake up; we need to get out of here!"

"Troy?"

"Yeah, it's me," Troy confirmed. "Come on, we need to move!"

"How did you get free?"

"Never mind that, we need to move!" Troy repeated, tugging on the captain's arm.

"Move? Move to where?" Dietrich shook his head to clear it.

"Anywhere," Troy insisted. "Those Arabs are going to get tired of chasing your column, and when they do, they're going to come back here to pick up their dead and anything they can steal. When they start searching these vehicles for contraband we don't want to be here."

"I believe you are right," Dietrich agreed. He tried to push himself to a sitting position but stopped when his head started to spin.

"Here, let me help you." Troy reached for the captain's arm again. "How's the head?"

"Telling me loud and clear that it's still there."

Troy chuckled. "You must have one hard head. I could hear the thunk from where I was sitting."

"Let me untie your hands," Dietrich offered when he noticed that Troy's hands were still bound.

"It can wait," Troy shook his head. "We aren't going to have a lot of time here and we need to get away from these vehicles. I don't hear any more shots so they may already be on their way back."

Dietrich leaned on the door and looked out across the desert. He couldn't see his column or the Arabs but he did see a cloud of dust rising from the desert floor. His heart raced as he realized that the dust was getting closer.

"Help me down Sergeant, I think they're coming."

Troy steadied him until he reached the ground. He put his hand to his head and felt the sticky wetness there. That touch sent a wave of pain across his head that threatened to send him back into the darkness of oblivion. Grasping at the door, he supported himself until the dizziness passed.

"Come on!" Troy urged. "Put your arm around my neck" Using his bound hands to grip Dietrich's hand, Troy supported the German as they moved around the halftrack. Troy led them to the base of the nearest hill. It was a tough climb with Dietrich staggering and dragging Troy down with him frequently.

"Sergeant, I need a rest," Dietrich panted.

"When we get to the top," Troy answered. "We need to keep moving."

Dietrich nodded and kept climbing. When they finally reached the top of the hill he collapsed to the ground.

"Stay here, I'm going to go back for some weapons," Troy explained.

"I'm sorry Sergeant, I should have thought of that earlier."

"We couldn't have carried them earlier," Troy reasoned. "We both needed our hands to climb."

"We should have tried to start the vehicles," Dietrich gasp. "My driver was killed but I think the halftrack would still run. We could have driven out of here."

"I tried," Troy answered. "A bullet must have hit the engine. I tried the others too, none of them started."

"You tried them?"

"Yeah."

"Is that why you came back for me; you couldn't get away on your own?"

"You're not helping my chances any," Troy growled. He turned to head back down the hill. "Get down!" Diving to the ground, he pushed the captain behind a rock.

"What is it?" Dietrich asked breathlessly.

"The Arabs, they're back," Troy hissed.

The two men kept low and watched as the Arabs collected their dead. The bodies were loaded onto nervous horses and a couple of the men took charge of the mounts.

"Do you think they'll leave now?" Dietrich whispered.

"Maybe," Troy whispered back. "But I'm betting they'll search the vehicles first."

"They won't leave us any weapons."

Troy was watching the Arabs intently and didn't turn as he answered. "Right now I'm more worried about them leaving us water."

"They don't usually take the water cans," Dietrich replied. "Even if they do, my column will come back for our dead. We can survive that long without water."

"Maybe," Troy answered absently.

At Troy's tone Dietrich looked up sharply. "What is it? What do you see?"

"They're searching the vehicles," Troy explained, "and they found that bloody handprint you left on the door of your halftrack." Troy glanced back to see Dietrich pale. "Let's just hope they don't decide to investigate."

A shot rang out and Dietrich jumped. "What was that?"

Troy didn't look at the captain as he answered. "They must have found a survivor I missed. They just shot one of your men. Either that or they shot him to try to flush you out. Maybe they think you'll show yourself to protect your men."

"To protect men already dead?"

"The shot may have been an attempt to convince you that there are survivors." Troy continued to watch and give Dietrich updates. "Some of them are leaving."

"That's good news isn't it?"

"Who knows," Troy shrugged.

"They aren't coming up here."

"Not yet, but they aren't looking up here either."

"Then they don't suspect that we're up here," Dietrich decided.

"Or they just don't want to give themselves away until…" Troy paused.

"Until what?"

"Let's go!" Troy urged. "They sent some of their men around the hill to come up on the other side. They'll head us off and we won't have an escape route."

"Are you sure?"

"Move Dietrich!" Troy pulled Dietrich to his feet and gave him a shove.

They cleared the top of the hill and were started down the other side when the horsemen arrived. Troy froze as the Arabs started their charge up the slope. Glancing over, he saw Dietrich give him a slight nod. Standing shoulder to shoulder, the two men raised their hands in surrender.


	4. Chapter 4

**Another Exhausting Mission **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

Tully followed the tracks of the column from the waterhole. Moffitt stood behind him manning the 50 and keeping a sharp eye out for the Germans. They knew that Dietrich would expect them to come after Troy and they were wary of an ambush. The wind had already begun to erase the tracks but they were still clear enough for Tully to follow. The repairs to the jeep had taken longer than they had anticipated and they were all anxious about their leader.

Hitch was following further back than normal. The jeep was running well but none of them were sure the fix would hold. Tully and Hitch had replaced the damaged parts when they had the spares but they had been forced to try to straighten one of the rods. One of the pins had been beyond repair and the replacement was shorter than the original. It was uncertain if it would hold or work itself free.

Moffitt was watching the hills around them when Tully hit his brakes. Looking ahead, the sergeant didn't have to ask what was wrong.

The two jeeps stopped before they reached the vehicles that had fallen victim to the Arabs. Hitch climbed behind the 50 in his jeep and covered Moffitt and Tully as they went ahead to investigate. Moffitt stayed behind his 50 as Tully slowly drove up to the abandoned vehicles. Once he was next to the wrecks Tully stopped and allowed Moffitt to climb out and check for tracks. There were horse tracks all around, mixed with footprints and tire tracks. Dark pools of dried blood indicated that there were casualties.

"Doc?"

"It's obvious that they were attacked by Arabs," Moffitt answered Tully.

"Who won?"

"It's hard to say. It looks like both sides returned for their dead. The vehicles have been stripped of anything of value, but that could have been done at any time." Moffitt glanced around. "I don't see any graves so both sides took their dead with them." He continued to walk along the still smoldering vehicles. When he got to the first one in line he paused. "This looks like Dietrich's halftrack. Those look like his goggles on the floor." Moffitt took a step closer and his foot kicked something in the sand. He bent down and picked up the luger that Dietrich had dropped.

Tully had been letting the jeep creep along as Moffitt walked the length of the abandoned vehicles. Now he pulled himself high enough to look over the side of the halftrack. "That looks like his regular driver too. I bet he wasn't happy when he got hit."

"No doubt," Moffitt agreed. "He did seem to be particularly fond of this one."

"He saved Dietrich's life once," Hitch called. "Dietrich doesn't forget a thing like that."

"Do you think Dietrich was killed?" Tully asked the question that was on all of their minds.

"There's blood on the floor on the passenger side." Moffitt answered.

"Dietrich's?"

"Perhaps," Moffitt admitted, "but there is also a bloody handprint on the door."

"Is there any sign of Troy?" Hitch called anxiously.

"No, I'm afraid not. At least nothing I can say for sure points to Troy."

"Then he's probably alive," Hitch reasoned. "If he was dead, they would have left his body behind. Why would either side take his body?"

Moffitt looked away from the halftrack to look at Hitch. "Dietrich may have taken him; he can still use him to bait a trap for us if we don't know he's dead."

Hitch looked at the halftrack and frowned. "I won't believe he's dead until I have some proof," the blond answered stubbornly.

Moffitt smiled and looked away. On the other side of the halftrack he spotted what looked like a partial bloody hand print on the rocks on the side of the hill. Climbing down, he began to follow the dark stains on the rocks and on the ground.

"What is it Doc?" Tully called.

"Someone may have managed to escape up the hill," Moffitt answered without looking up. "It looks like two sets of tracks," he called as he continued to follow the trail.

"You'd better take a gun Doc." Tully reached up and snagged a gun to throw to the sergeant. "Be careful, you know what Troy found at the top of a hill."

"Thank you, Tully." Moffitt continued to follow the tracks and droplets of blood to the top of the hill. When he reached the top, he found the signs where two men had crouched behind the rocks. When he tracked them further he found more horse tracks.

"Any luck Doc?" Tully called.

"I'm afraid so," Moffitt answered as he reappeared at the top of the hill. Sliding down toward the jeeps he continued. "I think we should find a place that is a bit safer where we can discuss what we need to do." The sergeant climbed behind his 50 and waved to Hitch. "Time to go."

"Did you find Sarge up there?" Hitch asked as soon as Moffitt had Tully pull his jeep into a wadi.

"Let's go to the top of the dune where we can talk and keep watch at the same time," Moffitt answered.

The two privates exchanged worried looks before following the sergeant.

"I didn't find any bodies up there," Moffitt began before either private could ask a question.

"What did you find?"

"Two men made their way up to the top of that hill," Moffitt began. "I found blood, so one of them was wounded."

"Shouldn't we go look for them?" Hitch asked.

"I also found evidence that they were captured by the Arabs. There is no way of knowing who they were. One of them could have been Troy."

"Then we have to go after them!" Hitch exclaimed.

"Not so fast," Moffitt warned. "I said it may have been Troy. Unfortunately there was no way to tell for sure."

"So what do you want to do?" Tully asked.

"I think that there is the possibility that Troy was one of the men captured on that hill. I want to follow the Arabs and see if I'm right."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then Dietrich will still be waiting for us," Tully answered.

"Unless Dietrich was the other one who was captured," Moffitt added.

"Dietrich?"

"There was a bloody hand print on the door of the halftrack. And it was Dietrich's halftrack. I also found bloody hand prints climbing that hill."

"It sounds like we're going visiting," Tully drawled.

"Maybe we can get Troy back and capture Dietrich at the same time."

"Sarge first," Hitch replied.

"What if Sarge isn't one of the prisoners?"

"Then we'll trade Dietrich for Troy."

Tully and Hitch began to smile.

"So we are in agreement?" Moffitt asked. "We follow the Arabs and see if we can rescue Dietrich, providing I correctly surmised the identity of the prisoners?"

"Lead on Doc." Tully nodded.

"Sounds good," Hitch agreed.

"Then I suggest we follow the tracks before the wind erases them. These Arabs are dangerous so we shall have to be extremely careful. It appears that they took the prisoners alive so I think we can assume that they will remain that way, at least for the time being." Moffitt rose and led the way to the jeeps. "We will need to walk in and study the camp so they don't hear the jeeps."

Having seen the tracks leading away from the ambush site, Moffitt directed Tully in the right direction. The wind was already erasing the tracks left by the horses but Moffitt was persistent and they slowly closed the gap between them and their quarry.

Moffitt had Tully stop so he could take a closer look at the tracks. After a close examination he returned to his jeep and had Tully leave the trail. They moved closer to the base of the hills where they could find cover if necessary. The sergeant used binoculars to follow the trail, being careful to avoid any flashes that would reveal their presence. As the sun began to set the sergeant called a halt.

"I think we should wait until they camp for the night," Moffitt informed the privates. "Once they set up camp we can move in and take a look. That way there is less chance of them seeing us coming."

"But we don't know where they are going to camp," Tully protested.

"There are only a few places large enough to hold a camp of that size. We'll check them one by one until we find them."

"Okay Doc, you know best," Tully agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Another Exhausting Mission **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 5

The Arabs traveled until nearly dark before making camp. Their leader led his band into the wadi and gave orders for tents to be set up. The prisoners were taken to a tent and left inside.

Troy caught Dietrich as the officer stumbled through the door.

Dietrich sighed and sank gratefully to the ground.

"You all right Captain?"

"I'm fine Sergeant," Dietrich nodded. "It was a long ride and I'm just not used to traveling on the back of a horse."

"Just be glad they were worried about your column or we may have had to walk all the way. They wanted to move fast or they wouldn't have let us ride."

"How do you know they were worried about my column and not your men?" Dietrich demanded.

"They never saw my team," Troy reasoned. "We don't even know if they're still out there."

Dietrich gave Troy a tired smile. "Don't we? Your team does have a reputation for rescuing your teammates."

"Your men threw an awful lot of lead at them," Troy replied. "We don't know if any of them were injured. They may very well be on their way to a hospital. We can't count on them Captain."

"I suppose you are right," Dietrich admitted with a sigh. "As odd as it may seem, I suppose I was counting on their loyalty to you to save us."

"What about your column?"

The officer shrugged. "They may return and they may not. You said they didn't even stop to check on me."

"No," Troy admitted, "they slowed down next to the halftrack but by the time I got out from under that dead guard they were already too far away to risk calling to them. The last thing I wanted to do was draw the attention of the Arabs."

"They probably think I'm dead," Dietrich nodded.

"Wouldn't they come back to retrieve the bodies?"

"Yes, but it could be hours before they do that. Our tracks will be long gone by then and they may never find us."

"Then I guess it's up to us."

"Just what so you have in mind Sergeant?"

"I don't know yet," Troy admitted, "but I'm working on it."

"It might be a good idea to work fast," Dietrich suggested dryly, "the longer we stay here the better our chances of winding up dead."

"Worried Captain?"

Dietrich glanced at the door and nodded. "Yes Sergeant, I am."

"There are four guards outside," Troy announced a short time later. "They have two in front and two around the back. We can't take on four guards alone. We're going to have to wait until some of them go to sleep."

"What if they don't go to sleep?"

"Then we improvise," Troy grinned.

"Four guards, they must consider us dangerous prisoners," Dietrich mused. He glanced around at the bare interior of the tent. There was nothing in there was wasn't absolutely essential, and that included bedding. The captain had scooped a bed out of the sand and was lying on the pile. The interior was pitch dark since there was not a lantern or candle to offer any light. He scooted into the sand and tried to get some sleep despite Troy's pacing.

"They'd be right," Troy grinned. "They just don't know how dangerous yet. Maybe we can correct that problem."

"You and your men are quite adept at that sort of thing," Dietrich admitted. He opened one eye and looked at Troy. "Have you come up with a plan?"

"Not yet," Troy began, "but I'm…"

"…working on it," Dietrich finished for him. "Please do so quietly so that I can get some sleep. Wake me up when you're ready to leave." The officer rolled over onto his side and fell asleep.

"What makes you so sure you're going with me?" Troy asked of the sleeping officer. When he didn't get an answer he went back to pacing.

The Arabs retired for the night leaving only a few guards to watch over the camp. The four guards outside of the tent still moved about giving Troy little opportunity to slip past them. The hours wore on and the sky began to lighten.

There was soft thud from outside, followed by another. Troy turned at the sound of a knife slicing through the side of the tent. Running toward the sound he saw the last rays of the moon shining through the hole in the tent wall.

"Troy."

"Moffitt," Troy answered. Turning toward the sleeping officer he prepared to wake Dietrich. The captain was already awake and watching him.

"I wasn't completely sure you would take me along," the German admitted.

"You'd better get moving or we'll leave you behind yet," Troy growled. He offered a hand and Dietrich reached up and took it.

"Hurry!" Moffitt hissed.

Troy shoved Dietrich through the slit in the tent wall and followed after him. The two Arab guards lay side by side on the ground next to the tent. Tully and Hitch were crouched next to them watching for the guards in the front. They both grinned at Troy as he rushed past.

"Move it!" Troy growled. He took the rifle that Moffitt handed him. Waving Dietrich ahead of him he followed Moffitt through the darkened tents toward the edge of the wadi. Tully and Hitch followed.

An Arab stepped out of one of the tents as the sergeants passed. Seeing the intruders he opened his mouth to shout the alarm. Tully and Hitch turned as one and clubbed him into silence with their rifles. Another Arab stepped out to investigate and met the same fate.

Moffitt picked up the pace as they reached the edge of the wadi. Dietrich and Troy reached the top right behind him. Tully and Hitch had stayed behind to cover them when they crossed the open so Troy and Moffitt stopped to cover them as they climbed the slope.

The sun was peeking over the hills sending a gray light to chase away the night. Below the Arabs were beginning to stir.

"You waited long enough to come in," Troy whispered to Moffitt as they lay side by side on the sand and watched the privates claw their way to the top of the hill.

"We didn't want the Arabs to see us coming," the Brit replied. "We held back until dark and then had to search the wadis to find their camp." Moffitt grinned self-consciously. "I really didn't expect them to ride this far before stopping for the night."

"Thanks for coming for me."

"I had to," Moffitt answered.

"Had to? Why?"

"I think Tully and Hitch would have mutinied if I had done anything else," the Brit explained with a smile.

Troy laughed and checked on the progress of the two privates. They were about halfway up the slope and moving steadily. The camp was starting to come alive and the sergeants focused their attention on covering their men.

Behind them Dietrich had reached the jeeps and paused to catch his breath. Looking behind him he saw both sergeants ignoring him to watch the Arab camp. He glanced at the jeeps. He could take one of them and make his escape. Troy and his men could fit in the other one. He glanced at the jeeps again and noticed that there weren't any rifles in sight. It would be dangerous to go unarmed but he would have the fast little vehicle to outrun any danger. Taking a step toward the jeeps he glanced behind him again.

Hitch and Tully had just reached the summit of the hill and were coming toward the jeeps. Moffitt and Troy were just turning to follow the younger men. He sighed; his window of opportunity had just closed. Standing next to the jeeps he waited for the four men to reach him.

"Get in the jeep Captain," Troy ordered as he dropped his rifle into the boot and climbed behind the 50. "That camp is waking up and they're going to be missing us any moment."

Dietrich slid into the seat beside Troy's driver. The jeep nearly jumped out from under him as they made their escape. Behind him he heard the first alarms being raised in the Arab camp. Holding on, he prepared for a fast, rough ride.

The jeeps burst out onto the desert floor as the first rays of sun reached over the hills. Both drivers were hunched over their steering wheels concentrating on putting distance between them and the Arab camp. The jeeps fairly flew across the distance. The hills around them made Dietrich nervous and he was glad they were finally going to be traveling over a flatter terrain. Neither jeep slowed as they raced between the many hills still dotting the landscape.

Dietrich was looking behind when the jeep suddenly swerved, throwing him into Private Hitchcock. He grabbed for support and twisted to see what had caused the abrupt change in direction. He expected to see Arabs swarming out of the surrounding hills; instead he saw his own column trying to head them off.

Troy's jeep ducked between two hills and into a gap that led away from the column. Shells began to drop around them but the little jeep quickly out distanced them. Dietrich couldn't help but admire the skill of Troy's driver as they deftly dodged the shells without losing any speed. He looked back to see Troy watching behind them and clinging to the 50.

Tully saw the column about the same time that Hitch spotted it. While Hitch swerved into the gap, Tully was already past it and there was nowhere for him to go. Circling around he tried to follow the other jeep but several patrol cars rushed to cut him off. A gap appeared between the next two hills and Tully headed for it but a halftrack managed to get in his way and forced him to bypass the escape route. Shells began dropping all around him, each one closer than the last. Tully turned to try to get around a halftrack but Moffitt waved him off. He saw the reason a moment later when another halftrack pulled out of the gap he had intended to use.

Tully circled again but the Germans were closing in.

"It's no use Tully," Moffitt called. "They have us surrounded. If we keep fighting we'll both be killed, and Troy wouldn't like that."

Tully nodded and stopped the jeep. Putting his hands in the air he watched the Germans approach.

"At least Troy got away," Moffitt commented from the rear of the jeep.

"With Dietrich," Tully added with satisfaction.

"With Dietrich," Moffitt added thoughtfully.


	6. Chapter 6

**Another Exhausting Mission **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

"They must have got caught!" Hitch paced the wadi next to his jeep.

"Maybe," Troy nodded.

"They would have been here by now if they got away!"

"We didn't have a meeting place set up," Troy argued. "If they got away they'll have to find us."

"We left tracks Sarge, all they had to do was follow them."

"Go to the top of the hill and see if you can see them," Troy ordered.

Hitch sighed and nodded. "Okay Sarge."

"He's right you know." Dietrich walked up behind Troy as Hitch walked away.

"Maybe," Troy answered again.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Troy replied, "I'm working on it."

Dietrich smiled.

"Tell me something…" Troy eyed the German officer.

"If I can; no military secrets," Dietrich answered.

"Why didn't you take one of the jeeps and make a run for it back at the Arab camp?"

Dietrich looked down at the ground before raising his head to smile at the sergeant. "I considered it."

"Why didn't you?"

"By the time the thought occurred to me your privates had reached the top of the hill and you were all returning to the vehicles. I missed my chance. I decided that if I tried it then you would shoot me before I could get away."

"You were right," Troy agreed. "And it would have been a shame to shoot you after pulling you out of that camp."

"Now you tell me something," Dietrich answered. "Why did you take me along? Why not leave me with the Arabs?"

Troy shrugged. "I wouldn't have left anyone behind in that camp if I had a choice. You and I both know that nothing good was going to happen to anyone they took as prisoner."

Dietrich nodded grimly. "Thank you."

Troy nodded in response and turned to look up at Hitch. "I guess we're going to have to go back and see if we can figure out what happened."

"If they aren't dead, then my men have them."

"Maybe, maybe not," Troy answered. "Don't forget, the Arabs from that camp were right behind us when we got out of there. Have you considered the possibility that the Arabs might have attacked your column again?"

Dietrich looked surprised at the suggestion. "Then they may all be dead. Do you really think it's possible?"

"It's not such a far-fetched idea," Troy replied. "They attacked it once, why not again?"

"Perhaps we should go see for ourselves," Dietrich suggested.

"Maybe we should," Troy agreed. "Hitch, come on down!"

Hitch dropped his rifle into the boot and took his seat. He waited until Dietrich and Troy were settled before he asked where they were going. "Are we going back to look for them Sarge?"

"Yeah Hitch, we are." Troy answered. "But first I want to take a look from a distance. I don't want to fall into any ambush because we got careless."

Hitch nodded. "That's what Doc said when we found the abandoned vehicles from the captain's column. Sarge….you don't think they ran into those Arabs again, do you?"

"That's what we need to find out," Troy answered.

"Okay, we're not that far from where we lost them." Hitch popped a bubble and looked back at Troy. "I'll bring us out through the same route we used to escape."

"Let's do it," Troy ordered.

When they reached the gap between the hills Hitch brought the jeep to a stop.

Troy jumped to the ground and plucked a rifle from the boot on the front fender. He reached over Dietrich to pick up the binoculars from between the seats. "Stay here Hitch, I'll go take a look. Keep a close eye on our guest."

"Right Sarge," Hitch nodded. He popped another bubble and twisted in his seat to watch the captain.

Troy took his rifle and binoculars and climbed to the top of the rocks to examine the site where the column had ambushed them. There was one abandoned car riddled with large caliber bullet holes. There was no sign of the other jeep. Troy could see the craters caused by the exploding shells but the wind was already filling them in and leveling the desert floor again. Soon the damaged patrol car would be the only remaining evidence that anything had happened there. Using the glasses, Troy continued to study the area. He didn't see any sign of Tully, Moffitt, or the Germans.

"Sarge!"

Troy spun in time to see the jeep charge out o the gap and onto the desert floor. As Troy watched Dietrich scooted over the seat to man the 50. Hitch turned his head to yell at the German. Dietrich lowered the barrel and Hitch reached up to remove the dust cover. Dietrich cleared the chamber and began to fire at the Arab horsemen chasing the jeep.

Dietrich continued to fire as a second group of horsemen joined the chase. Despite not having much experience with the big gun, Dietrich managed to hit half a dozen of the riders before they began to fall behind the speeding jeep.

Taking cover behind a rock Troy watched as the horsemen continued to chase after Hitch and Dietrich. When they began to pull their horses to a stop Troy ducked lower. The jeep disappeared around the hills as the Arabs turned back. He watched them ride off deeper into the hills before he resumed his place at the top of the hill. Using the glasses he tried to spot the jeep. He knew Hitch would come back for him but it might take a while. Hitch had no idea that the Arabs had gone. Troy kept an eye out in case they returned as he watched for Hitch. He didn't start to worry until the jeep had been gone for quite some time.

Hitch drove until he was sure that they had lost the horsemen. He was circling to go back for Troy when the jeep began to steer funny. He could feel the front wheel starting to wobble. Slowing the vehicle, he began to look for a place to stop so he could check it out.

"Keep driving Private."

Hitch looked over his shoulder and into the barrel of the 50. Dietrich had a tight grip on the handles next to the trigger and a determined look on his face. "We are going to go look for my column."

"We're not going anywhere," Hitch answered.

"I think I hold the deciding factor in my hands Private."

"That gun won't keep this jeep running," Hitch answered.

Dietrich frowned. "What do you mean? If this is some kind of trick..."

"The wheel is starting to wobble," Hitch replied with a nod toward his front wheel. "If I don't stop and fix it we won't be going anywhere."

"I don't believe you," Dietrich answered. "Keep driving."

"I'm telling you Captain," Hitch argued, "if I don't fix it we'll both be walking."

The officer nodded reluctantly. "All right, fix it."

"I'm not sure I can," Hitch answered. "We already fixed it once and we used up most of our spare parts. I'm not sure we have the parts to fix it again. All I can do is take a look."

"In that case, keep driving until it stops. Perhaps we can find my column before it quits."

"What about Sarge?

"We will go back and pick him up after we find my column."

"What about the Arabs?"

"What about them?"

"What if they find Sarge first?"

"Fortunes of war Private. I'm certain that Sergeant Troy will manage to stay free until we can go back. After all, the Arabs were chasing us, not him."

"But they might find him!"

Dietrich sighed. "Then perhaps you should hurry and find my column so that we can go back for your sergeant."

"We should have left you in that Arab camp," Hitch muttered under his breath.

"What was that Private?"

"Nothing," Hitch answered.

"Then drive."

Hitch drove without looking back at Dietrich. He could feel the officer watching him from behind the 50. His mind was racing for a solution to his problem when the solution presented itself. The jeep lurched to one side and the front wheel tipped oddly.

"What happened?" Dietrich demanded.

"I told you I needed to stop and fix it," Hitch growled. "Something broke."

"Get out and fix it."

"Sure," Hitch agreed. "I don't want to be on foot out here with those Arabs running around."

Dietrich had Hitch walk away from the jeep before he jumped to the ground. Hurrying to the front of the vehicle he removed the rifle on the fender before he allowed the private to return. Waving the gun at the jeep he ordered Hitch to fix it.

Hitch started toward the jeep with a nod. "Just keep an eye out for those Arabs."

"You fix the jeep and let me worry about the Arabs."

Hitch crawled under the jeep and examined the problem. The new parts looked okay and the rod they had straightened was fine. It only took a minute to realize that the pin had fallen out.

"What is wrong?" Dietrich asked.

"A rod broke," Hitch lied. "I'm not sure I have the parts to fix it."

"Do your best private, your life depends on it."

"Both of our lives," Hitch corrected. "If I walk, you walk."

"I'll stand guard."

"I may need your help," Hitch lied again. "Once I jack it up I may need your help to get it lined up so I can fix it."

Hitch got the jack, another pin, and a long rod. He grabbed some wire and tape to hold the pin once he got it in place. He positioned the jack under the front corner of the jeep and slid underneath.

"Can you fix it?"

"Maybe," Hitch answered honestly. "But I am going to need help to get everything lined up," he lied again.

"I'm afraid I'm not much of a mechanic," the German admitted.

"That's okay," Hitch answered. "I just need you to help move the wheel into position. I need to fit the rod through this small hole right here." He pointed at the underside of the frame.

Dietrich glanced at the jeep and then at Hitch. "Put the wrench down Private."

Hitch tossed the wrench out into the sand in front of the jeep.

With a smile Dietrich stuck his head under the frame to see what needed to be done. Once he had his head under the jeep Hitch kicked the jack. The jack slid in the sand and let the frame drop. When the frame dropped it hit Dietrich's head. The German dropped to the sand unconscious.

Hitch wiggled out from under the jeep and retrieved a rope. He tied the German hand and foot before replacing the jack. He crawled back under the jeep. With a little pull here and a little push there he soon had the parts aligned. He replaced the pin and fastened it. To keep it from coming loose again he wrapped wire around the end and taped the wire in place.

"Gee Captain, it looks like I didn't need your help after all." He loaded the still unconscious officer into the jeep and headed back toward Troy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Another Exhausting Mission **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 7

Troy turned and scanned the hills for the Arabs. After chasing the jeep they had ridden off into the hills and he hadn't seen any sign of them since. He scanned the desert again, and to his relief, he finally spotted the jeep headed his way. Glancing behind him, he started down the hill. It seemed safer to meet the jeep in the open rather than have Hitch drive into the hills where the Arabs could attack them again.

Hitch pulled the jeep to a stop next to him and kept watch as Troy climbed over the radio to sit on the spare tire.

"Problems?" Troy eyed the rope that bound an angry looking Dietrich.

"The jeep broke down again and I had to make some more repairs," Hitch answered with a bubble. The private glanced over at their prisoner and smiled. "Luckily, I didn't need any help fixing it. The captain isn't much of a mechanic."

Troy noticed the glare that Dietrich gave Hitch. He also noticed the new bruise on the officer's head. Where there had been one before, now there was one on each side of his head. "How's the head Captain?"

"I'll survive Sergeant," the officer glared at Hitch. "Fortunes of war."

"Well at least you look more balance now," Troy grinned. "With just one lump on your head you looked kind of lopsided."

"Huh!" Dietrich huffed.

Troy grinned at his driver and jerked his head toward the desert. "Let's get out of here before those Arabs come back."

"Right Sarge." Hitch smiled and popped a bubble. Twisting back to face forward he started the jeep.

They had only gone a short distance when the radio began to crackle. Troy leaned down and picked up the mic. Twisting a knob he adjusted the reception.

"Blue dog two to blue dog one, come in one." The message repeated itself again before Troy answered it.

"Blue dog two, this is blue dog one. It's good to hear from you blue dog two. We thought the krauts got you."

"They did," Moffitt answered.

Troy motioned for Hitch to stop the jeep. Leaping to the ground he plugged the headset into the radio so only he could hear what was being said. He was adjusting the headset on his head when Moffitt spoke again.

"Are you still there Troy? I said they did capture us."

"I heard you doctor," Troy answered. "So I'm guessing that they let you make this call to make me an offer?"

Moffitt laughed. "Yes, they did," he admitted. "The lieutenant is offering you the chance to surrender, unconditionally."

Troy smiled. "Does he really expect me to agree to those terms?"

"It would seem so." Moffitt answered. "He seems quite serious."

"And if I refuse?"

"If you refuse he has threatened to shoot both Tully and I."

"I see," Troy nodded although Moffitt couldn't see it. "Tell him if any harm comes to either of you I will have no choice but to execute his captain."

A slow, agonizing two minutes passed before Moffitt spoke again. "Are you there Troy?"

"I'm here," Troy answered with a grin for Dietrich. "Judging by the time he took to make up his mind I am assuming that he doesn't have much use for his commander." He grinned at Dietrich again.

"Actually, I had to convince him that the captain was still alive. He says he saw the captain lying on the floor of his halftrack with a bullet wound to his head. I explained about the wound and the Arabs. He admitted that he wondered why the captain's body was not left with the others. He still isn't completely convinced. I was wondering old man, could you put the captain on the radio to talk to the lieutenant?"

"Make sure they let you listen in so he doesn't pull any tricks."

"Of course," Moffitt agreed.

Troy pulled the headphones off and unplugged them from the radio. Holding the mic in front of Dietrich's face he explained what he wanted. "Your lieutenant thinks you're dead. Tell him he's wrong. No tricks."

Dietrich looked at the mic and turned his head away. Speaking softly, he questioned Troy. "Why should I help you?"

"Because if you don't you could really end up dead," Troy snarled. "If he shoots my men, I'm going to kill you."

"No you won't," Dietrich smiled smugly.

"Don't try me Captain," Troy growled. "Talk to your lieutenant."

Looking into Troy's eyes, Dietrich felt the first pangs of uncertainty. The sergeant looked just angry enough to carry out his threat. "Very well Sergeant, I will talk to the lieutenant."

"Wise choice," Troy answered. He held the mic while Dietrich talked. He couldn't understand what was being said but he knew Moffitt would warn him if anything was wrong. After a few minutes Dietrich leaned away from the mic.

"Is everything okay Moffitt?"

"Everything is fine Troy. The captain explained what happened after the column left."

"Is the lieutenant open to a trade?"

"Us for the captain?" Moffitt inquired.

"That's the deal," Troy confirmed.

"He agrees," Moffitt announced a moment later. "When and where?"

"About a mile east of where the column was attacked there is a flat plateau. We'll meet in the middle where we can see the Arabs in plenty of time if they happen to attack. The lieutenant turns you loose with your jeep and we release Dietrich. They can pick him up and we all go home."

The radio was silent for so long Troy was beginning to think the lieutenant didn't want Dietrich back after all. Finally Moffitt spoke again. "The lieutenant wants Dietrich's approval of the plan before he agrees."

Troy held the mic out to Dietrich. The German glared at him before leaning forward to talk. "The arrangement is satisfactory Sergeant Moffitt."

"In German Captain, your lieutenant doesn't speak English and he's not the trusting sort. He wants to skip the translation," Moffitt explained.

Dietrich repeated his response in German.

"When do you want to make the trade Troy?"

"Right now. We'll both head over there and make the trade as soon as everyone is there. The Arabs are still out here looking for trouble."

"We'll see you then." Moffitt signed off.

Troy put the mic away and nodded at Hitch. "Let's go."

The jeep was the first to arrive at the meeting spot. Troy allowed Dietrich to stretch his legs while they waited. "Don't try anything Captain. I need you alive but no one said anything about your being wounded."

"I understand Sergeant," Dietrich replied in a huff.

When the column arrived Tully was driving the jeep while Moffit rode in the lead halftrack. There was a guard in the seat next to Tully with a rifle pointed at him the entire time. Tully saw the other jeep first and pointed it out to his guard. "Looks like you're going to be getting out soon." The guard didn't take his eyes off Tully to see what he was pointing at. Tully smiled and shrugged. "Doc."

"I see them Tully," Moffitt called back. He pointed toward the other jeep and spoke to the German lieutenant.

The officer picked up his binoculars and focused on the men standing around the jeep. Seeing Dietrich, he nodded at his men to release Moffitt.

Troy was on the radio when Moffitt reached Tully's jeep. When Moffitt picked up the mic Troy put Dietrich on. "Okay Captain, tell your lieutenant to release my men. As soon as they get here we release you and the four of us drive away."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then all of this was for nothing and more of your men will die when we go after them."

Dietrich repeated Troy's order.


	8. Chapter 8

**Another Exhausting Mission **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 8

"That went well," Moffitt stated after they stopped to cool the engine of his jeep. Troy's was cool since they had waited for the German column to arrive.

"We lost our prisoner," Troy answered.

"True, but you got us back."

Troy tried to hide his smile and failed. "Okay, it went well. I'm satisfied with the results."

"I think Tully will agree and I don't have any complaints," Moffitt smiled.

Troy glanced over to where Tully stood guard. "I hope he knows to keep his eyes open. I'm getting a little tired of those Arabs. It would be nice if we could get home without running into them again. I'd like to get home without any more trouble of any kind."

"Speaking of trouble…"

Troy looked over at Moffitt and waited for him to finish his question.

"When we last saw Dietrich I could have sworn he only had a lump on one side of his head. Did Tully and I miss something?"

Troy chuckled. "I've been meaning to ask Hitch about that. He had to leave me behind when the Arabs attacked the jeep. He was a long time coming back. When he did Dietrich had that second bump and he was trussed up like a Christmas turkey."

"Did you ask Hitch what happened?"

"Yeah, he said the jeep broke down and he had to fix it."

"That may be true," Moffitt replied. "It was damaged when we left you behind at the waterhole and we had to fix it. Tully said it might not hold. Something about having to use a short pin."

"That might explain why he was gone so long but it doesn't explain the lump on Dietrich's skull."

"No, it doesn't," Moffitt agreed as they both looked around for Troy's driver.

"What?" Hitch asked when both sergeants stopped next to where he was repacking the tools in the jeep. He looked from one sergeant to the other.

"Care to tell us what happened after you left me on that hill?" Troy challenged.

"I told you. The jeep broke down. I came back for you as quickly as I could Sarge!"

"That's not what I asked you," Troy countered.

"You mean the bump on his head?"

Both sergeants nodded.

"He got the drop on me Sarge." Hitch looked embarrassed. "I was driving and he was using the 50 to keep the Arabs from catching us." Hitch waited for Troy to nod before he continued. "When I started to circle back to pick you up he pointed the 50 at me and told me to keep driving. He told me to look for his column instead. I didn't want to Sarge, but he had me dead to rights. He said we'd pick you up after we found his column. I figured I wouldn't be much help to you if I was dead so I went along with him." Troy nodded his agreement. "Anyway, we hadn't gotten far when I felt the wheel start to wobble. I told him I needed to stop and fix it but he wouldn't let me. Then the pin let loose and I lost my steering. He had to let me stop then. He told me to fix it while he stood guard. I lied and told him a rod broke and I would need his help to line up the parts. I got everything I needed and crawled under the jeep. When he stuck his head underneath the jeep to look for himself, I kicked the jack over. The front corner of the jeep dropped and hit him on the head. I tied him up and finished fixing the jeep. I didn't mean to hurt him Sarge, I just needed to get control again so I could come back for you."

Both sergeants smiled at Hitch's narrative.

"That's probably the last time he'll help you fix a jeep," Troy guessed.

"That's okay," Hitch grinned, "He wasn't much help anyway…and it turned out I didn't need his help after all."

"Take Tully some water," Troy ordered. "Moffitt and I are going to go over the maps. Maybe we can find a way home that keeps us out of reach of those Arabs."

"Right Sarge." Hitch wrapped the strap of a canteen around his hand and he headed for Tully.

"Remind me not to offer to help him fix a jeep unless I'm sure he's not mad at me," Troy told Moffitt.

Moffitt smiled. "I wish I had been there to see that. I can just picture the look on Dietrich's face when he woke up."

"What are they laughing about?" Tully asked when Hitch handed him the canteen.

"Dietrich got the drop on me and I had to trick him to get back in control. I don't think Sarge is mad about it though. I tried to explain that I didn't have any choice." Hitch went on to tell Tully the same story he had told the sergeants.

"You could have been pinned under that jeep when it fell," Tully warned.

"I made sure I was far enough back to have enough clearance," Hitch answered. "Getting stuck under a jeep with Dietrich's column and those Arabs around didn't appeal to me."

"I'm glad it worked out," Tully replied. "In case I forgot to say it, thanks for coming back for us."

"Any time," Hitch grinned. "So what did you do with your time while Sarge and I were busy?"

"You mean besides getting caught?"

"Yeah, besides that."

Tully smiled and looked down at the ground.

"Tully?"

"That lieutenant made us cook our own meals from the supplies in the jeep. He said there was no sense using their supplies when we had our own."

Hitch nodded. "At least he let you eat."

"Yeah, but that guard, he wasn't watching me too close while I dug out the cookware."

Hitch was hanging on Tully's every word.

"They thought they took all of the explosives out of the jeep but they missed the smaller ones. I managed to sneak a timer and several of the small charges into my shirt. Later on, after we ate, they chained me to one of the halftracks while they talked to Doc." Tully looked down at the sergeants going over the map. "I slipped those charges up under the fuel tank on that halftrack and set the timer. They're in for one heck of a surprise in about," Tully glanced at his watch, "five minutes."

Hitch looked at his watch and smiled. "Maybe if watch we can see the smoke. A charge like that will make a plume that can be seen for miles."

Both privates were looking off into the distance when Troy and Moffitt called them down.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing Sarge," Tully answered.

"Nothing huh? Give, what are you watching?"

"Nothing Sarge," Hitch insisted.

"Hitch."

"We were watching for smoke," Tully explained before Troy could question Hitch.

"Smoke from what?"

"An explosion," Tully answered.

"What explosion?"

"I left that Lieutenant a couple of our small charges," Tully explained.

Troy looked at Moffitt and sighed. "When we get home, we're going to have a little talk about sharing information. Getting anything out of you two is like pulling teeth. Right now I'm too tired to play twenty questions. Let's go home."

Hitch looked at Tully and shrugged. As far as they were concerned they hadn't done anything but their jobs. They turned and followed the sergeants to the jeeps.


End file.
